Water cuts are not unusual in the dormitories. These students have had to stock up elsewhere.

The campus has 32 halls of residence, which comprise more than 3,000 individual bedrooms.

"I'd love to follow a MOOC, but it's too complicated with all the problems with the internet." Aurore Monda, 18, studying business management.

Jordan Romaric Brika uses a break to watch a course that he's been able to download on his smartphone.

Although the students at Yamoussoukro are privileged, they still struggle to get a decent internet connection.

Small pavilions serve as the refectory.

Rice, fried fish and pasta shells are the menu of the day.

Students can pay for their meals with a badge.

Rice and attiéké, a side dish made from cassava, play a central role in Ivorian cuisine.

The polytechnic stretches over 1,000 hectares, of which only 400 are developed.

Technology does not replace study.

The campus architecture is a matter of national pride.

The arcades of the south site.

Women make up only a quarter of students at Yamoussoukro.

The impressive amphitheatre.

Sep 19, 2016 - 11:26

Students at Yamoussoukro aren't cramped - as is the case in the country's universities. The Félix Houphouët-Boigny national polytechnic has some 3,500 students from 15 countries in Africa. They represent the best graduates in the Ivory Coast, since only 650 are admitted each year out of more than 7,000 applicants.